# Tea



## JasonI (Sep 7, 2005)

Well this seems fitting, the first post I made here was asking about tea so now I guess I'll share some info on my drink of choice.

In the issue of CA with emril on the cover they do a page on tea and mention a few types but they dont say much about what kind go with cigars so I'll give some suggestions and also just some tea to try.

I like Gunpowder Green Tea with my cigars that or a strong black tea, whole leaf tea seems to have a much richer taste so I have almost completely gotten rid of tea that comes pre-bagged. For whole leaf tea all you need is a small strainer or a tea ball. It takes a little more time and the tea is more expensive but I think in the long run its worth it.

If you want a fruit tea I would try wild strawberry, mountain blueberry, or passion fruit, they are all great teas.

If your interested in trying some tea I found a nice shop on Gatlinburg that has tea for sale online, she also answer emails about how to brew the tea and suggests diffrent teas for diffrent people. Heres the link
www.blackbeartea.com


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## tazziedevil (Sep 8, 2005)

I like Earl Grey, with a little sugar and milk with a cigar. Spicy and smooth. Tas from a bag is bad-always buy bulk leaf tea when you can.

Chai can go well too, with a milder cigar.


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## PaulMac (Jul 15, 2003)

I like Lapsang Souchong with some gars, the smoky flavor works well


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## NiteDog (Jul 4, 2005)

Lately I've been drinking Assam. Nice and strong.


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## JasonI (Sep 7, 2005)

The link I posted has a scottish tea that is supposed to be strong they call it a malted tea, sounds like that might be interesting. If its good I'll let you guys know. 

Im hoping to send an ounce of tea with a tea ball and instruction with my first bomb. maybe get some others on the bandwagon.


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## Neuromancer (Sep 7, 2005)

JasonI said:


> ...I like Gunpowder Green Tea with my cigars that or a strong black tea...


China Black...both great, great tea choices...


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## vic_c (Sep 7, 2005)

Tea is my drink of choice, for some reason I have never liked coffee.....I wish I did. One of the best, and my personal favorite brands is Fortnum & Mason. I used to be able to find it at some specialty stores in NYC but I havent seen it lately so I order it from their website now. The Fortnum & Mason "Earl Grey" is unique and has a real smokey flavor to it due to the addition of Lapsang Souchong. I like it much better than their "Earl Grey Classic", which is still great but more like the Earl Grey we are familiar with the US. I have never yet had a F & M tea that I didn't like. I always buy the leaves loose and stay away from the bags unless it's absolutely necessary.


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## TTgirl (Sep 8, 2005)

I've always liked Oolong straight up - haven't done that in a while. The Lapsang Souchong sounds like it might be worth a try.


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## paperlullaby (Sep 10, 2005)

Great to see other people who are into tea. I order most of mine from tealuxe.com. Fairly good selection, great descriptions and fast delivery. They are always getting new teas and you can search their site using flavor profiles, country of origin, etc. They have top ten lists and a short questionnaire to help with your selection if you are not sure what you may like. I have just recently started buying the loose leaf tea and really enjoy the China Oolong and the Darjeelings. I am not a huge fan of coffee either so tea is a very enjoyable alternative for me.


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## dannyboy (Sep 7, 2005)

Tea  

I like tea  

I have a couple of the YiXing Clay tea pots for use with different teas (like pipes, you don't want to brew different flavors in the same pot). I tend to prefer the Oolongs, my favorite is the Tung Ting Oolang also, the Formosa Oolong is very good. I tend to prefer the lighter flavored teas, so I am not sure that they would mix with cigars. Perhaps a very mild cigar would mix with one of my heavier teas...perhaps a Casa Torano and the Formosa Oolong would make a good combo...

OK, I have a new experiment...finding cigars to match to teas :z


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## Nooner (Feb 22, 2005)

I enjoy tea as well, but don't knwo anything about the various types...

I do know that I prefer Tetley Tea to Lipton and Red Rose and the like for my hot tea

And I prefer Lucianne to Liptopn or any other for my Sweet Tea(Cold - southern style)

I also prefer Snapple Peach Tea to Arizona Peach tea for the bottled stuff... 

but maybe I'll start checking out some of the whole leaf stuff(for hot tea) - thanks for the links guys!


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## DaveC (Sep 4, 2003)

its all about vintage pu-erh teas, preferably not cooked.


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## Jeff (Jan 2, 2005)

DaveC said:


> its all about vintage pu-erh teas, preferably not cooked.


pu-erh

Is that like puro for tea?


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## dannyboy (Sep 7, 2005)

DaveC said:


> its all about vintage pu-erh teas, preferably not cooked.


Yeah, I forgot to mention the pu-erhs...love that earthy musty taste...I bet those would go well with a cigar...need to try that too. Damn, I am gonna be busy :w


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## Warhorse545 (Oct 16, 2005)

I like Lung Ching brewed as strong as I can get it when I have time to enjoy it.


Other then that just about any that is Iced. 



Stacey


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## calistogey (Jun 14, 2005)

Went throught a bunch of Persian and mint, but recently back into green teas. Had a taste of some really good Konacha so I'm looking around for some. I did get a couple of pounds of Sencha which I'm working on right now.


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## Mac (Sep 19, 2005)

Has anyone ever tried Matcha with a smoke? I'm sure the Japanese tea-masters would frown deeply if someone broke out a cigar during the tea ceremony!!! This tea is bright green and frothy and made by whisking the finely ground powder from the top couple of leaves in a tea plant. It has a somewhat bitter, but pleasant taste, and leaves you with a nice feeling.

 

I had the pleasure of sitting in on a tea ceremony last spring with a Japanese friend. It was an instructional class for women that wanted to learn the ceremony. It was fun watching them practice, but hell on the feet and knees for gai-jin not used to sitting that way for an hour.

By the way, I love sencha O'cha, too. But I haven't tried it with a stogie. Even though I enjoy some of the finer teas, especially the ones I get when I visit Japan, I still like the good ole Lipton for a quick cup of hot tea. I think it goes great as a palate cleanser between sips of bourbon and puffs of maduro. I think the thing that lowers my standards so much is just pure laziness. I got a Toshiba water pot a couple years ago from a department store in Osaka that I fill up every couple of days. It keeps the water at the perfect temperature for brewing a quick cup, so it's as simple as grabbing a teabag and pushing the button for the hot water...highly recommended for tea drinkers. You can purchase these online in the USA now.


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## cigartexan (Jan 1, 2000)

I really enjoy Big Leaf Baimudan white tea  In fact I'm having a cup right now.


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## Nooner (Feb 22, 2005)

BTT:

can some of you tea lovers post up your good online sources for bulk tea... I am looking for the healthy high-antioxidant stuff

I can currently buy tea at the local Whole Foods, but I don't know how well they store their stuff and would rather purchase from a vendor who does tea for a living adn could give me some recommendations for stuff that'd suit my needs.

Thanks!
Pat


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## SeanGAR (Jul 9, 2004)

I buy mostly Taiwanese oolongs from dongding, alishan and wenshan mountains. Also Baihao (oriental beauty) and taiguanyin (iron goddess). I also like Taiwanese pilochun, which is a green tea. I find most green teas too grassy tasting but this one is nice.

Most Taiwanese Oolongs I have analysed have high levels of the antioxidants (except the baihaos) in the range of green teas because most Taiwanese oolongs are lightly fermented. They often have a nice fruity character that I enjoy. I've had some excellent monkey picked Oolong from Mainland China as well, although I buy mostly Taiwanese tea.

I buy mostly from:

www.sevencups.com
www.rishi-tea.com
www.thefragrantleaf.com

I read this website sometimes.
http://www.teamuse.com/article_020102.html

Some recent studies suggest that levels of some 3"-O and 4"-O methylated (-)-epigallocatechingallates have much stronger anti-allergy effects than EGCG. They are found at higher levels in Oolongs than Green or Black teas according to one paper, a second paper does not appear to concur .... I haven't had the chance to analyse levels myself. If you have allergies lightly oxidized Oolongs might be worth a shot.

Curled teas have actually more caffeine and catechins/gallocatechins in the second extraction than the first, and you can still get significant levels in the fourth extraction. Whenever I get this paper written on tea I'm working on, I'll post a PDF here.


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## Nooner (Feb 22, 2005)

thanks Sean!



SeanGAR said:


> I buy mostly Taiwanese oolongs from dongding, alishan and wenshan mountains. Also Baihao (oriental beauty) and taiguanyin (iron goddess). I also like Taiwanese pilochun, which is a green tea. I find most green teas too grassy tasting but this one is nice.
> 
> Most Taiwanese Oolongs I have analysed have high levels of the antioxidants (except the baihaos) in the range of green teas because most Taiwanese oolongs are lightly fermented. They often have a nice fruity character that I enjoy. I've had some excellent monkey picked Oolong from Mainland China as well, although I buy mostly Taiwanese tea.
> 
> ...


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## Don Fernando (Jan 1, 2000)

looking at most of your answers, i guess i am slumming when i drink tea.

i use TAZO tea bags, and i like a bunch of different flavors.

i drink more coffee than tea, though.


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